About the activities

We caught up with the brains behind our new football toppers, about what they include, and the thinking behind them. Introducing Christina Shevill, programme project manager at Girlguiding, and Clare Daniels, National Innovation Manager, and Stacey Mullock, Senior Volunteering and Legacy Manager, from the Football Association.

‘From Girlguiding’s own research, we know that lots of girls feel like they don’t get enough opportunities to try activities and hobbies that are seen as being ‘for boys’. So we want to make sure that everyone can take part in our new football-focussed toppers. We want every girl to feel confident in trying out new physical skills, and we want every volunteer to have fun running the activities, even if you’ve never played football before.’ - Christina ‘We focussed the toppers on the basics. As well as introducing girls to physical ball skills like dribbling and footwork, the activities also help girls to understand different aspects of the game. For Rainbows and Brownies, that might be learning to work in a team to score a goal. Guides and Rangers can explore some of the strategy associated with football, or explore different roles such as referee, coach or commentator.’ - Clare ‘For you as a volunteer, this means you can take girls through a fun and active series of games, without needing to be an expert in football yourself. It was also important to us that no unit misses out on trying the toppers because they don’t have access to the right equipment. All the games have been designed so that you don’t need a football to play them – you can use any selection of soft balls you have on hand. For some of the games, even a pair of rolled up socks will do!’ - Stacey